This invention relates to a device for inserting into a bar of soap to make the bar of soap attractive to magnetic fields generated by a magnet from a magnetic soap holder, and specifically relates to a cap style gripping device.
Soap dishes are simple solutions for holding a bar of soap between uses. Soap lying in a dish or a holder on the edge of a sink with excess water from washing causes the soap to continue to dissolve reducing the useful life of the soap and leaving a coating on the dish or holder that requires periodic cleaning. Soap supporting features in soap dishes help, but they still get messy and require cleaning. Magnetic soap holders, like the present invention, were invented to solve this problem
The concept of a magnetic soap holder has been around at least since at least 1947 when U. W. Edger invented a wall-mounted soap holder as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,925. A bar of soap is suspended from a magnet in the soap holder by a metallic anchor embedded into the bar of soap. Since that time many variations and improvements to the wall-mounted arrangement have been developed. Many design patents have been granted for wall-mounted magnetic soap holders as well.
One critical element in all magnetic soap holders is a metallic device attached to the bar of soap to make it attractive to magnetic fields. The device must be formed of a material that is both attracted to magnetic fields and inert to the caustic environment of the soap. The geometry of soap grippers typically fall into two categories: anchors and caps. Anchors are driven into the bar along the longitudinal axis of the bar, whereas caps are pressed into the bar on either of its two broad faces. The previously mentioned Edger patent and U.S. Pat. No. 3,289,990 to Grantham are good examples of anchor style grippers, while U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,177 to Nordlof shows a typical cap style gripper.
Anchor style soap grippers force the user to hang the soap in an unnatural vertical direction. The long dimension of a bar of soap can be over five times the thickness. This requires a substantial clearance between the holder and the countertop or lip of the sink to accommodate the hanging bar of soap. As the soap is used, the anchor becomes exposed and reveals sharp points and edges that can damage a user's skin In anchor style designs, the user is usually left with a small piece of soap attached to a large metal rod.
Cap style soap grippers allow suspension of a bar of soap in the same natural horizontal orientation as it would have if lying in a soap dish The holder height is typically high enough that it can suspend the bar over the sink basin itself. However, cap style soap grippers may require substantial force to insert them into hard soaps. At the same time, they can also easily pull out of soft soaps. As the soap erodes with use, the outer walls of the cap become exposed and the cap loses its holding strength U.S. Pat. No. 3,472,391 to Bolognesi a cap style soap gripper with serrated edges. The serrated edges make initial insertion into hard soaps easier. However, a user may be injured by the sharp edges of the cap as the bar of soap is worn down through use.
The holding strength of cap style soap grippers in soft soaps can be increased by either bending the walls of the cap outward as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,268 No. to Jodwischat or bending the walls of the cap inward as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,871 to Repert. However, the problem with bending the walls of the cap is that the force to insert the cap into hard soaps is exacerbated by the necessary displacement of a large amount of soap material.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device for attaching a bar of soap to a magnetic soap holder that is easy to install, maintains a solid grip on the bar of soap, and is made of a material attracted to magnetic fields and inert to the caustic environment of a bar of soap.